Thursday, 16 June 2011

Sepia Saturday 79: Dressed for the Beach

Sepia Saturday's photo prompt this week from Alan Burnett depicts two young early 20th Century ladies relaxing on the beach in Atlantic City, but dressed in a manner that will certainly protect them well from the noon day sun. Not everyone goes to beach to swim, and if you live in this Antipodean location, then you'd be advised to go well wrapped at this time of the year (the Met Service advises 3 layers!). As far as swimming's concerned, I think you'd have to pay me.

My own contribution for this theme consists of two tintypes, mounted in flimsy paper sleeves the size of cartes de visite. They are part of a larger collection of 73 loose photographs which I purchased as a single lot on eBay last year. The vendor told me that they had originally been acquired together, and my own research has given me reason to believe that they do indeed belong together. Although these tin types are not inscribed, I've been able to determine, by comparison with others in the collection in which the subjects are identified, and by some additional research, who is depicted and approximately when it was taken.

Measuring roughly 69 x 82 mm, they are an odd size, somewhere between quarter-plate and sixth-plate. Both show a woman seated on the beach with two young children. She is Emily Minns née Carr (1840-1927), wife of Stoke Newington draper Charles Thomas Minns (1838-1900), and the two children with her are most likely her two eldest sons Charles Walter Marston Minns (1874-1951) and Frederick Thomas Minns (1875-1956).

Her third son was born in late 1877, which suggests to me that these two photographs were taken in the summer of 1877, probably by an itinerant beach photographer. The second image, taken from a slightly different angle, includes what may be a large spoked wheel of a bathing machine, similar to that shown in an early 20th Century photograph which I posted two weeks ago as a submission for the 105th Carnival of Genealogy (Swimsuit Edition).

Ladies' and Children's Bathing SuitsHarper's Bazaar, 15 July 1876

I assumed initially that they were dressed for outdoor activities. However, now that I've looked at Stella Blum's Victorian Fashions and Costumes from Harper's Bazaar 1867-1898, I think they could well be wearing bathing suits. Although not identical - that would be so "last year" wouldn't it - the clothes are similar to those depicted in the engraving shown from July 1876, reproduced above. Perhaps someone more familiar with Victorian fashions can confirm - or refute - this. While they belong firmly in the "What were they thinking?" category in the present day, I feel they were at the height of fashion back then.

I'm looking forward to a suitably eclectic selection of swimsuits among the other Sepia Saturday contributions this week.

16 comments:

It may be a bathing machine behind the group but they are not dressed for bathing - sheltering from the wind perhaps. The Harpers Bazaar picture is interesting to show the bathing suit fashions. I wonder what the wearers would make of today's skimpy swim wear.

These are superb for showing the fashion of the time. Like Bob, I wonder what they’d think of the sights I’ve just seen walking along the seafront here in Lanzarote (some would be better covered up, but that’s another story). The lady’s hat is lovely; I wonder what colour it was. We’ll never know.

I always wonder if folks had more than one suit because if they did go in the water these woolen suits would never be dry by the next day. And then packing them wet to take home. Brings back memories of my gym locker each day during swimming season. Oyyyyyy.

I think it is definitely a bathing machine, otherwise why would they be sitting behind such a huge and dangerous looking cart?. Fantastic early photos and I'm amazed you have managed to discover the identity of the subjects. As always I'm mightily impressed with your detective skills Brett.

You always amaze me with your lovely photos and such interesting details to them...and if I where picking from the last photo..I'd take the swimsuit in the center...and what wild socks she wore with it...very cool! They would be the talk of the beach!

Well certainly neither she nor the children appear to be too happy about their "outing." Such great photos..These are really marvelous and I cannot imagine all the woolens being at all comfortable. Maybe that's why they frown!

I am posting on my phone so we shall see how this goes. I just could not resist such a photo. These people are dressed for an outing but not to go in the water. While yes the fashion plates show ladies and Children un bathing costumes for the most part it didn't catch on until the late 1890s as something people did. Furthermore it was a display of wealth to own any sort of leisure activity clothing. As someone pointed out, costumes were made from wool, linen and linen/wool blends and would not likely be something you would want to wear without it being laundered. Secondly these types of dresses were not designed for swimming or play at the beach as we envision it. They allowed freedom from drowning if a woman wandered out too far but really the stayed in the shallow water and there was no actual swimming taking place. The costumes are generally two or three piece garments: a type of union suit with a skirt over top or a skirt, bloomers and blouse altho the second arrangement allowed possible exposure if your blouse came untucked. Also bathing was not generally something done in mixed company.

My group researched bathing costumes a few years ago and I find the subject fascinating. It has a wealth of information about clothing, morals, and cultural trends all wrapped up in wool dresses. Sorry this got so long!

I always appreciate your thorough research. I never would have suspected that those were bathing suits, but I think you're right. They appear strange to us, but in reality, many of today's suits that cover virtually nothing, are much stranger. Bathing machines are also an interesting invention.

Bob and Postcardy - Yes, you may well be right about the clothing, I'm just not sure.

Little Nell - I believe that with some detailed knowledge of the properties of the photosensitive emulsions used at that time, it's possible to make some deductions about the colours of objects. However, I just don't know enough about the subject. I could do with some of the warmth of Lanzarote right now.

T&L and Kristin - Yes, I can't imagine wearing anything like that either.

Howard and Mike - Yes, the photographer would have had a portable darkroom, but it needn't have been as big as the one in the tintype. Some were a bit like a wheelbarrow, others were bigger. The very high floor of the wagon in the photo, designed to stay above the water even when the wheels were partly submerged, suggests to me that it was a bathing machine rather than darkroom. I'm not sure how long the customer would have to wait, probably minutes rather then hours. Itinerant photographers were still using the wet collodion/tintype process until the early 1900s in the UK, and the 1930s in the US, because it was quick, easy and cheap! My Dad had a tintype done in South Africa in the 1960s! I've even seen reports of the process still being used in some Middle Eastern countries a few years ago - perhaps before digital cameras became ubquitous.

WhoWereThey - A lot of interesting material to digest, thanks for taking the trouble to share your knowledge.

Thank you also to LisaB, Lakota, KarenS, Pat, Nancy, Mike and Christine for your kind comments.

WhoWereThey - Further to your comment earlier ("While yes the fashion plates show ladies and Children un bathing costumes for the most part it didn't catch on until the late 1890s as something people did"), I have just been doing some research on a silhouette artist operating in the 1830s in the north-west of England, for a forthcoming article. He announced in the newspaper that he was shortly departing from the town of Preston to visit Southport and Blackpool, where he would be catering to the wants of visitors "during the bathing season."

I think it was an accepted activity, even then, at least for those who could afford the shilling or two for a silhouette portrait to be cut.